By Jim Johnson
SouthernPigskin.com

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Jim Johnson’s OAYP advanced metric highlights the special players over its 4.0 mark and the 2019 midseason breakout stars in the SEC.

Now midway through the 2019 regular season, a few names are starting to rise above the rest, in the eyes of my OAYP advanced metric.

We also have some breakout stars that, though we didnt know much about them before the season, have emerged among the ranks of the elite.

I wanted to highlight both groups of players, so, first, lets highlight the 8special ones. These are players with a marginal OAYP score greater than 4.0. Right now, just 15 players in Southern Pigskins entire FBS coverage area — the ACC, SEC, and Sun Belt — meet that threshold. The SEC has eight of them.

Then, well look at the breakout stars: players that didnt have a preseason projection, either because theyre freshmen or because they didnt play enough earlier in their career to have a qualifying sample size, but are currently at or above a 2.0 marginal OAYP score. Coincidentally, there are also 15 examples of these players in our coverage area. The SEC has five of those.

THE SPECIAL ONES

OT Andrew Thomas, Georgia
Marginal OAYP: 5.76

CB Eric Stokes, Georgia
Marginal OAYP: 4.3

If you thought it was impossible for Andrew Thomas to get any better than he was last season, so did I. On a related note, Andrew Thomas has gotten even better than he was last year. Hes more athletic than a lot of offensive skill players, and he weighs 320 pounds. Even in the loss to South Carolina, he proved that he can also hold up in pass pro on a larger-than usual sample size. Hes one of the best players in the country, regardless of position. On the other side of the ball, Eric Stokes is admirably filling some pretty big shoes left behind by Deandre Baker. As physical a cornerback as youll find, hes an elite tackler for the position and developed beyond his years in press-man.

EDGE Jon Greenard, Florida
Marginal OAYP: 5.11

Give OAYP some credit here. The formula had him pegged as the SECs top projected edge rusher in the preseason. Yet, he has exceeded even those expectations. More powerful than explosive, hes more likely to go through an opposing offensive tackle than around them, and wins at a high rate, inside. He also sets a mean edge against the run. Even after missing most of the LSU game, he already has almost 30 pressures this season, according to Pro Football Focus.

CB Derek Stingley, LSU
Marginal OAYP: 4.78

QB Joe Burrow, LSU
Marginal OAYP: 4.41

WR Ja’Marr Chase, LSU
Marginal OAYP: 4.04

Not only are Stingley and Burrow tops in the SEC at their respective position, per OAYP, theyre both #1 in our entire coverage area. Chase isnt far behind, either, at #3 in the receiver rankings. As remarkable as Burrow has been, Stingley has impressed me the most, perhaps of any player in the country. Hes played in six collegiate games and if he never took another snap, Id happily draft him in the top five a couple of years from now. After last week, Burrow finally passed Tua Tagovailoa for OAYPs QB1 spot, and deservedly so, as he ranks #2 among FBS quarterbacks in adjusted completion percentage, yards per attempt and touchdowns, and #1 in passer rating. He and Chase, among others — including OAYPs #3 SEC WR Justin Jefferson — are obviously reaping the rewards of Joe Bradys new offense.

QB Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
Marginal OAYP: 4.35

Burrow passed him after last week, but only by the thinnest of margins. Personally, I still think Tagovailoa is the best quarterback in college football. I cant remember the last quarterback that was as accurate as he is. And Im not just talking about completion percentage. I would compare it to playing darts. When most quarterbacks miss, they miss the board completely; when Tua cmissesd, he hits the little green area around the bullseye instead of the bullseye itself.

DL Derrick Brown, Auburn
Marginal OAYP: 4.03

Nobody moves other 300+ pound human beings with the apparent ease that Brown does. He gets off the ball quicker than should be possible for someone his size and lives in opposing backfield. Despite facing a brutal early stretch of offensive lines, including Oregons — who might be the second best in the country, behind Georgias — he has continued to produce at the level weve come to expect. A dominant run defender for years now, hes also displaying even more as a pass rusher than in seasons past.

Just Missed (marginal OAYP > 3.5): Albert Okwuegbunam, Missouri; Justin Madubuike, Texas A&M; Grant Delpit, LSU; Jedrick Wills, Alabama

BREAKOUT STARS

TE Kyle Pitts, Florida
Marginal OAYP: 3.18

WR Freddie Swain, Florida
Marginal OAYP: 3.09

Swain caught five touchdowns last season on just 14 receptions, but that was on too small a sample size to qualify, while Pitts only had three catches in 2018. Already, the two have are just a handful of grabs shy of tripling their combined total from last year. Pitts still trails Albert Okwuegbunam in the SEC TE rankings, but, in a class that also includes future NFL players like Cheyenne OGrady and Jared Pinkney, hes beginning to leave some impressive company in the dust. Swain, meanwhile, has become even more explosive on an increased sample size, averaging almost 20 yards per reception. He also came through in a couple of different clutch moments in the upset bid at LSU.

OG Adrian Magee, LSU
Marginal OAYP: 3.08

Magee has been solid all season for an LSU offensive line that ranks 12th in the country in short yardage rushing conversions on third and fourth downs. In other words, even when the opposition knows LSU is running, it doesnt matter when one of those talented backs follows the gaping hole that all 340 pounds of Magee leaves behind. More than just a name to keep an eye on, hes currently OAYPs top SEC OG.

OG Evan Neal, Alabama
Marginal OAYP: 2.25

A mountain of a man at 67, 360 pounds, its not hard to see how this blue chip true freshman earned a starting job at college footballs premier program. Even SEC defensive linemen look like high schoolers next to him, and hes been swallowing these guys whole, all season. He could afford to lose some of that bad weight, but as he does, if he can maintain that powerful punch, the sky’s the limit.

C Trey Hill, Georgia
Marginal OAYP: 2.0

Hills still learning how to be a center, as some of his snaps have been inconsistent — one of which led to a turnover against South Carolina — but, as a blocker, hes been steady. Hes a big body that moves well enough for his size, too strong to go through, and too quick to go by. With time he could be the best center in the SEC. Hes already pretty close.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OAYPS WEEK 7 SEC ROUNDUP, featuring overall team, offense and defense rankings, week eight picks against the spread, the formulas ranking of the top five players at every position, and the Team of the Week.